Retractable Y-shaped foils, adjustable in three dimensions

Inspired by the appendages of the America's Cup foiling monohulls, these Y-shaped foils have a wingspan of over 5 metres. They are designed to generate powerful lift, increase power and offer a wide range of adjustments to optimise flight at every point of sail and in all conditions. Beyond their impressive size, these foils feature many unique innovations.

Revolutionary U-shaped rudders

These are probably the most visually striking innovations on the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. To fly high above rough seas while maintaining control, the team wanted very long rudders that would remain in contact with the water. The challenge is that longer rudders tend to flex under load, severely affecting steering and the efficiency of their lifting surfaces. A new geometry was needed to give these appendages maximum stiffness, resist cavitation and ultimately improve control of the boat and make better use of its power. The result is a set of U-shaped rudders over 4 metres long, a metre longer than those on Gitana 17. Their shape, reminiscent of a tripod or an inverted π, is only the visible part of what makes them so distinctive.

A daggerboard optimised to stabilise the boat and limit cavitation

With its wide span, the daggerboard resembles an aircraft tail assembly, with two adjustable flaps: one on the vertical section and the other on the horizontal section, the distinctive “manta-ray wing”. On Gitana 18, the innovation is to position this wing behind the vertical part of the appendage, rather than directly beneath it, to minimise flow disturbance and cavitation.

Rig: adjustable spreaders to control mainsail power while sailing

Gitana 18’s mast is 1.50 metres taller than its predecessor’s. The boom is also shorter, creating a more slender sail plan. The major innovation is a set of spreaders that can be adjusted while sailing to bend the mast fore and aft. Actuated by hydraulic rams, these spreaders can pivot through 35 degrees to adjust the bend in the middle of the mast. This unprecedented system allows the sailor to control mainsail power: adding depth in light winds to take off sooner, or flattening the sail to reduce power at high speed or in strong winds. Adjusting the depth, and therefore the power, of the mainsail can also save a solo sailor time and energy by reducing the need for risky manoeuvres or headsail changes.

Central hull:
an integrated, structural coachroof

The naval architects and Gitana design team wanted an exceptionally stiff, structurally robust platform. This applies both to the floats, which must withstand heavy loads from the foils and rudders, and to the central hull, which is subject to torsion. The enclosed coachroof is integrated into the hull and contributes to its structural strength. Inside, the cockpit brings all sail-handling controls together, with ergonomics shaped by many hours of design and development. The coachroof also stands out for the number and size of its windows. This configuration meets the visibility requirements of the Ultim class rules and gives sailors the best possible view to keep a visual watch.

29.09.2004

ITW with Yann Guichard, tactician on Gitana 11.

"Out on the race course, the tactician acts as the helm's eyes. If the duo is to work, the helm must trust his tactician implicitly, as there are times when he cannot see a thing. He has his eyes glued to the tell tales concentrating on getting the most out of the boat. He casts a look over his shoulder from time to time to keep an eye on what is h…

par Gitana

"Out on the race course, the tactician acts as the helm’s eyes. If the duo is to work, the helm must trust his tactician implicitly, as there are times when he cannot see a thing. He has his eyes glued to the tell tales concentrating on getting the most out of the boat. He casts a look over his shoulder from time to time to keep an eye on what is happening around him, but that is as far as it goes…"

Overview of the tactician’s role

Out on the race course, the tactician acts as the helm’s eyes. If the duo is to work, the helm must trust his tactician implicitly, as there are times when he cannot see a thing. He has his eyes glued to the tell tales concentrating on getting the most out of the boat. He casts a look over his shoulder from time to time to keep an eye on what is happening around him, but that is as far as it goes. Just a snapshot view of what is happening on the water at a given moment in time. The tactician is there to provide an overall picture as things develop and to help him exploit that as best he can. If the helm does not trust his tactician one hundred percent, he will drive his boat with a little more hesitation. When on the port tack for example, and a fellow competitor appears starboard, if he does not trust in his tactician’s diagnosis, he will hesitate and start to hold the boat back. Whether to the right, the left, astern or ahead, we have to know exactly what is going on so that the crew can react quickly when a new situation arises. A crew’s degree of reactivity makes all the difference – you have to be on the ball permanently.

Yacht racing is like a game of chess. You have to know how to anticipate the situation and see a couple of moves ahead to avoid coming unstuck when rounding the marks. Not only do you need to know your own boat inside out and have got to grips with her speed potential across a range of sailing angles but also have an accurate idea of those of your opponents. That requires lots of observation.

Tactics on board Gitana 11

The crew :

A tactician has to be familiar with the crew’s strengths and weaknesses to know when they can try to pull something off. As the crew on Gitana 11 is progressing very rapidly, we can try to do certain things we wouldn’t have dared to attempt before, such as lee-bowing an approaching starboard tacker, safe in the knowledge that as we tack better than before, we’ll be able to pick up speed once again without the starboard tacker driving right over us.

We’re cool, calm and collected on Gitana 11. I’ve been on the boat for three months now and I can see that all of us are making progress as the days go by. The better the crew, the easier the tactician’s job – we have the full range of strategic combinations at our disposal.

Complicity – or the secret of Gitana 11’s success :

Our strength lies in the fact that Fred and I have the same sailing background – racing Tornados in the Olympics). We’ve been racing for 20 years now. We know what we’re doing and understand each other, we speak the same language. Another advantage is that we both appreciate the extent to which these 60-foot trimarans can be developed and that they can sail very fast indeed. I take that into account in developing strategy and Fred knows instinctively what I’m getting at. I like to move about on the boat to obtain my visual information. I need to know what the rest of the fleet are up to at all times. I also lend a hand with manoeuvres. Some tacticians remain static alongside the helm. I like to be in contact with the guys trimming the sheets.So that everything on board runs smoothly, everyone has to concentrate on getting the job done and not on contesting decisions. We have to work along the same lines. When the tactican decides to tack, he has to be 100% sure that it is going to work and that no-one is going to think twice about doing otherwise. There’s no time to talk things over during the race, that has to wait until later. If mistakes have been made, then we have to work out ways of avoiding them next time round.

What I like about being on Gitana 11, is the mutual trust which results in our improving performance. The guys on the sheets trust us, just as Fred and I trust them when it comes to manoeuvring. In yacht racing, the key to success lies in the guys on board. You have to be convinced that the boat itself is not the be all and end all. And for all that Gitana 11 is an incredible machine, she is sailed to success by her crew. Each guy up on deck concentrates on the job in hand, on a common aim to achieve perfection.

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